Software for use with deformity correction

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to software used in planning the correction of bone deformities preoperatively or postoperatively, and in particular relates to virtually manipulating rings and struts of an external fixation frame in order to plan the steps for making a desired correction to two or more bone portions of a patient. The software can be used prior to surgery, allowing a user to virtually define a bone deformity, and virtually add and manipulate fixation rings and struts to the bone deformity. Based on the virtual manipulations, a correction plan can be generated that describes length adjustments that should be made to the plurality of model struts over a period of time to correct the bone deformity. The software can also be used after surgical fixation of the fixation frame and struts to the deformed bone.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of generating a correction plan for correcting a deformed bone comprising the steps of:
 displaying on a visual medium a first image of the deformed bone in a first plane; 
 overlaying a model bone having a first configuration on the first image of the deformed bone in the first plane and manipulating the model bone into a second configuration being substantially similar to the first image of the deformed bone in the first plane; 
 displaying on the visual medium a second image of the deformed bone in a second plane; 
 after manipulating the model bone into the second configuration, overlaying the model bone in the second configuration on the second image of the deformed bone in the second plane and manipulating the model bone into a third configuration being substantially similar to the second image of the deformed bone in the second plane; 
 displaying a model of at least one fixation ring; and 
 manipulating the model of the at least one fixation ring so that the at least one fixation ring is in a desired position relative to the model bone in the third configuration. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of manipulating the model bone into the second configuration includes at least one of entering numerical values into an input box and moving a slide-bar corresponding to numerical values. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of manipulating the model bone into the second configuration includes adjusting at least one of a translation and an angulation of a first portion of the model bone relative to a second portion of the model bone. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 3 , wherein upon adjusting at least one of the translation and the angulation of the first portion of the model bone relative to the second portion of the model bone, the first portion of the model bone displayed on the visual medium in the first plane undergoes a corresponding visual change with respect to a second portion of the model bone displayed on the visual medium in the first plane. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of overlaying the model bone having the first configuration on the first image further includes changing at least one of a size, position, and orientation of the first image while the model bone having the first configuration is at least partially superimposed over the first image on the visual medium, at least one of the first image and the model bone being at least partially transparent. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of manipulating the model bone into the second configuration being substantially similar to the first image of the deformed bone in the first plane includes changing at least one of a position and orientation of first and second portions of the model bone in the first plane until edges of the first and second portions of the model bone in the first plane substantially align with edges of the first image of the deformed bone in the first plane. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of manipulating the model bone into the third configuration includes at least one of entering numerical values into an input box and moving a slide-bar corresponding to numerical values. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of manipulating the model bone into the third configuration includes adjusting at least one of a translation and an angulation of a first portion of the model bone relative to a second portion of the model bone. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8 , wherein upon adjusting at least one of the translation and the angulation of the first portion of the model bone relative to the second portion of the model bone, the first portion of the model bone displayed on the visual medium in the second plane undergoes a corresponding visual change with respect to a second portion of the model bone displayed on the visual medium in the second plane. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of overlaying the model bone having the second configuration on the second image further includes changing at least one of a size, position, and orientation of the second image while the model bone having the second configuration is at least partially superimposed over the second image on the visual medium, at least one of the second image and the model bone being at least partially transparent. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of manipulating the model bone into the third configuration being substantially similar to the second image of the deformed bone in the second plane includes changing at least one of a position and orientation of first and second portions of the model bone in the second plane until edges of the first and second portions of the model bone in the second plane substantially align with edges of the second image of the deformed bone in the second plane. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of manipulating the model of the at least one fixation ring so that the at least one fixation ring is in the desired position relative to the model bone in the third configuration further includes changing at least one of a position and angulation of the at least one fixation ring with respect to the model bone. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of manipulating the model of the at least one fixation ring so that the at least one fixation ring is in the desired position relative to the model bone in the third configuration is performed after a physical fixation ring is attached to a patient, and the desired position of the at least on fixation ring relative to the model bone corresponds to the actual position of the physical fixation ring relative to the patient. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 displaying a model of a second fixation ring; and 
 manipulating the model of the second fixation ring so that the second fixation ring is in a desired position relative to the model bone in the third configuration. 
 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 determining at least one combination of sizes of a plurality of model struts to connect the models of the first and second fixation rings with an algorithm using positional data corresponding to the desired position of the models of the first and second fixation rings. 
 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 displaying a plurality of model struts on the visual medium after a physical fixation ring is attached to a patient, each of the plurality of model struts having at least one of a size, position, and orientation corresponding to one of a plurality of physical struts attached to the physical fixation ring. 
 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of manipulating the model bone into the second configuration being substantially similar to the first image of the deformed bone in the first plane is configured to be performed manually by a user via an input device. 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 17 , wherein the step of manipulating the model bone into the third configuration being substantially similar to the second image of the deformed bone in the second plane is configured to be performed manually by a user via an input device. 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of manipulating the model bone into the second configuration being substantially similar to the first image of the deformed bone in the first plane includes inputting a value for a deformity apex of the model bone.